How Bones Grow Old From Silence

Silence kills.

Silence stifles and kills. Things we don’t talk about, because it’s too painful, too embarrassing, or too hard, kill us. We don’t need to shout it to the four corners of the earth. We must, however, speak truth to those who are affected by our sin.

Many people walk through life with hidden scars and secrets that are not told. The reason is sometimes to protect others, and sometimes to protect ourselves – or both. Covering up a past, whether it is ours or belongs to someone we know, is wrong. We cannot experience forgiveness for what is kept hidden or secret.

Sin makes us old. Unconfessed sin and unrepented sin makes us old. We have all known people who spent their lives covering up what should have been brought to light. When we know and allow the sin to remain hidden, we are an accomplice to the sin. We must not allow the secrecy or the silence to remain.

Darkness hides.

Satan is the author of darkness. He wants nothing more than to keep a lid on our sins so he can bring them up to badger us and use them against us. Keeping the sin in the dark guarantees it will remain hidden. Satan does not want our sin exposed unless he chooses to expose it.

There is power in darkness, but there is more power in Light. Do not forget that.

A thief is not as likely to invade a home where there is light on the inside and outside. That is because he does not want to be seen. What he does, he wants to have remain under cover. No one can see, and therefore no one knows for certain. That’s why there is power in darkness. There is power, pull, and control in silence.

Light exposes

King David hid with his sin. He wrote Psalm 32 and testified of the power of Light and of Darkness. David knew what he was talking about, for he was a liar, an adulterer, and a murderer. He hid that sin, and the result was condemnation and misery.  There were additional consequences dealt by God because he hid his sin. Bringing it to light ended the silence. David said,

 

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up^[b as by the heat of summer.

When he confessed his sin, he said this:

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Confession restores

When King David got right with God, he wrote an additional Psalm where  he said,

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

David wanted the secrets and the silence to end. He was ready to confess his sin to God and receive restoration. He knew what it was like to be clean before God and he wanted that again.

Silence keeps us from cleansing. Do not allow silence to hide your sin or the sin of others. Silence hinders growth and it stifles peace. Silence only broadens the scope of Satan. Bring your sin to the Light and you will find healing.

King David gives us a wonderful example of how to respond when there is sin in our lives. We can run and hide. We can keep silence while our bones wax old. Or, we can run toward the Light and confess our sin. He wants to restore us. He will, because only He can.